


Low Blow

by kat_the_writer



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Everything Else is Still the Same, Gavin Reed Being Less of an Asshole, Gavin Reed is Bad at Feelings, Gavin Reed-centric, M/M, Not Beta Read, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Being An Asshole, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:35:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22194889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kat_the_writer/pseuds/kat_the_writer
Summary: Gavin Reed has lived perfectly fine for these last 36 years of his life without a soulmark, thank you very much... So what happens when he wakes up with one?
Relationships: Hank Anderson/Connor, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Tina Chen/Original Female Character(s), Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 12
Kudos: 217





	Low Blow

**Author's Note:**

> uuuuUUUUGGHHHHH I GOT THIS IDEA FROM A STUPID TIKTOK AND I HAD TO WRITE IT
> 
> TikTok was by le_beanz the one where their soulmark is on their hand like they punched someone

Gavin awoke on a typical Monday morning, stretching across his bed and disgruntling his cat Queenie. He moved to get out from beneath the covers when something caught his eye – a dark mark partially across his fingers and knuckles on his right hand. He sat, stunned, staring at it, trying to figure out just what the _fuck_ kind of mark this was supposed to be.

It slowly dawned on him as he folded his hand into a fist – the mark on his hand, from… punching them? No. No _fuckin’_ way.

His mind flickered back to the moment he punched Connor in the stomach in the break room of the precinct, and cold dread flooded through him. No fuckin’ way. Never in a million years was that happening. Besides, he was pretty damn sure Connor and Hank were soulmates, though he’d never seen any obvious marks on either of them (not like he looked).

Gavin had always thought he was without a soulmate, anyways. He had never been born with a mark, never had one appear during any important parts of his life, just kind of figured he was meant to be alone and miserable. And now, here, on a normal ass Monday morning at the normal ass age of 36, there was a mark on his hand.

What the _fuck_.

~-~

Gavin had done everything possible to ignore the mark on his hand, even considering covering it up with makeup. But as soon as Tina had seen it, it was over for him. She had laughed so hard she was crying, crumpled against the wall as Gavin had glared daggers into her.

“Of course, you punch your soulmate!” she had guffawed, struggling to breathe.

And then everyone knew. 

Tina had a fairly normal soulmark; there was a small handprint across her forearm that perfectly matched the darkened handprint of her girlfriend. She had reached out to stop Tina from leaving the precinct after work in order to ask her out, and it was the very first time they’d touched – and her hand perfectly slotted right against the soulmark, like fate.

But Gavin was supposed to _punch_ his soulmate the first time he touched them? Jesus Christ.

Easy solution – just stop punching people. Right?

~-~

“You can call me Nines. I look forward to working with you.”

Gavin found himself rooted to the spot, staring at the hand outstretched, awaiting his. This wasn’t happening, hell _no_ this wasn’t happening. Turning sharply on his heel, Gavin stormed out of Fowler’s office, leaving Nines standing and Fowler slumping back into his seat with a groan. “Well, at least he didn’t start up into a screaming match. Sorry, Nines, just… give him a bit.”

“Understood,” Nines nodded, folding his hands behind his back. “Honestly, with the memories Connor shared with me, I was expecting that to go a lot worse.”

“Me too. But he’s gotten better, I promise. Or else I wouldn’t have even considered this in a million years,” Fowler stated, leaning forward back onto his desk. “Well, welcome to the precinct Nines. If you have any issues you know where to find me.”

“Much appreciated, Captain.” Nines inclined his head, a faint smile on his lips, before he stepped out of the office and headed down the stairs. Gavin wasn’t at his desk, so Nines instead approached Connor.

Connor looked up from the tablet in his hand and offered a warm smile. “Hello, Nines. He didn’t punch you, did he?”

“Thankfully, no. He just stormed out,” Nines replied with a chuckle. “This will be interesting.”

“Ah, that’s hopefully good then. No chance of him being, well,” Connor paused and waved a hand dismissively.

Nines nodded, hand subconsciously moving up to his abdomen, hovering there for a moment. “Most likely not. Truly a mystery, though. Did you see where he went, by chance?”

“Out of the back door, I believe. Probably to have a cigarette.”

Nines’s nose wrinkled at that. “Wonderful. I suppose I should go try and make nice.”

“Good luck!” Connor called after him, watching as Nines made his way to the back of the precinct. Nines flashed him a halfhearted thumbs up in return.

The door to the alleyway behind the precinct swung open, startling Gavin slightly who backed away just a touch more. Much to his displeasure, a particularly tall android stepped outside into the snow, letting the door close behind him as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his long, light gray jacket. “Detective,” he greeted, studying the smaller man.

Gavin bristled up immediately, growling. “The fuck you want?” he snarled.

“Well, we got off to a particularly bad start, so I figured I could attempt to remedy that.”

“Hell no, fuck off,” Gavin snapped, leaning back against the wall and taking a long drag off his cigarette. “I’m not working with you no matter what Fowler fuckin’ says.”

Nines scoffed at that, an airy sound that almost crossed into the territory of a laugh. “Have fun losing your job then, Detective.”

Gavin was bristling again in an instant, tossing his spent cigarette into the dumpster and stalking up to the android, hands balled into fists at his sides. “I’d like to fucking see them try!”

“Hmm, well, with your extensive disciplinary folder, and now insubordination? I am pretty sure they won’t think twice,” Nines sneered, eyes narrowing.

Gavin saw red and swung before he even thought about it, hand connecting with Nines’s abdomen seamlessly. Something sparked, and Gavin ripped back as Nines stumbled, hand flying up to the spot he had just been punched, the other bracing himself on the wall. His ice blue eyes were wide, fixed on Gavin who in turn was analyzing his hand, stunned, before he slowly turned to look at Nines with wide jade green eyes.

A moment of shocked silence passed, before-

“There is no fucking way,” they chorused, staring at each other intensely.

“This… this has to be a mistake,” Gavin choked out, eyes dropping to Nines’s hand that rested on his abdomen still.

“This is absolutely a mistake,” Nines agreed, staring at the mark across Gavin’s fingers. The mark on his abdomen was still tingling, and he figured Gavin’s fingers were tingling as well. Dread settled heavily into his being and he straightened himself up, fixing his coat. Without another word, he flung the door opened and hurried inside, leaving Gavin standing in the snowy alley.

He made his way over to Connor’s desk, startling him with his harried appearance. “Nines? What’s wrong?”

“Not here,” Nines muttered, before grabbing Connors wrist and ushering him through the doors and down the stairs to the archive. Once stopped, Nines leaned against the wall and caught his metaphorical breath. “He punched me, Connor. It lined up perfectly.”

Connor stared at Nines, wide-eyed, absolutely flabbergasted. “You’re… you’re joking right?” Silence lingered, and Connor cleared his throat. “Nines, please tell me you're joking.”

“I wish I was!” Nines snapped, hands curling into fists so tight his nails bit into his artificial skin. “That absolute _rat_ of a human is my- my- fuck!” He resisted the urge to punch the wall he leaned on and instead pushed himself off of it to pace, LED spinning a rapid crimson. “This is a nightmare. It has to be a mistake.”

“There’s never been a mistake before,” Connor murmured, sitting heavily on the steps. “Trust me, I did a _lot_ of research when the soulmark appeared on me after I deviated. The handprint on my shoulder didn’t make any sense until I met back up with Hank, and that was the very first spot he touched me. The _real_ me, not the machine me.” Connor brought a hand up to rub reflexively at the mark on his shoulder.

Nines slumped onto the steps next to him, head in his hands as he sighed heavily. “The difference here is that Lieutenant Anderson is a good person. Detective Reed is, well… He’s anything but.”

“Don’t say that,” Connor muttered, shifting to look at the despondent android next to him. “He’s gotten a lot better. I mean, he is still a dick, but he’s been through a lot. I can understand where he comes from.”

Nines shook his head, eyes focused on the floor. “That may be so,” he murmured.

“Just give him a chance? Besides, you two have to work together.”

“Not unless he quits,” Nines offered with a mirthless chuckle. “Wishful thinking.”

Connor rolled his eyes at that, nudging the bigger android next to him.

~-~

They both silently agreed not to talk about it. Gavin, albeit grudgingly, went along with working with Nines. He had probably realized how right Nines was about his potential to lose his job. Sure, he’d been doing much better lately, but the ghosts of his past haunted him on occasion – just as much as his disciplinary folder did.

Said ghosts of his past were how he found himself in a shitty little bar, nursing his fourth beer and aimlessly scrolling through his phone. 

It’s true that Gavin was a pretty fucked up individual who just really did not like androids. That’s what happens when your step-brother’s an evil genius who tortures the fuck out of you as kids with all his scary-ass human-adjacent creations only to become a practical fucking God later on in life.

Scoffing, Gavin swallowed a mouthful of his beer, dropping his phone to the counter. This was fucked. An android, the exact thing he hated… was his soulmate. How was this fair? With a groan, he ran a hand through his hair and then downed the rest of his beer. He was about to order another when his phone vibrated on the bar top.

Picking it up, he was greeted with a new message, sender RK900 #313 248 317 – 87. “Detective Reed, this is Nines. We have a case; where are you?” it read. With a snarl, Gavin dropped the phone back to the bar top and snagged a bartender’s attention.

To his dismay, the phone vibrated again, and again, and again. It stopped after a while, and he let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. It was a bad thing to ignore his responsibilities, but if Hank got out of it on occasion for being drunk, maybe he could too…

Until the door to the bar opened and in stepped Nines. Of course.

“Fuck,” Gavin groaned, downing the rest of his fifth beer. 

Nines stepped up next to him, leaning against him faintly. “Detective Reed, I get the feeling you are ignoring me.”

“You fuckin’ think?” Gavin growled, flagging the bartender for his sixth beer. “Fuck off.”

“You’re drunk.”

“Wow, Captain fuckin’ Obvious here. Real smart, asshole.”

“You are _disgusting_.” The word was bit out with such venom that Gavin involuntarily shuddered, eyes growing wide. “Connor had said I should give you a chance, but I see absolutely zero redeemable factors in you.”

Nines was straightening up now, lacing his hands behind his back tightly. Gavin found himself at a loss for words for once in his life.

“I’ll be putting in for a request for a new partner,” Nines continued, voice cool. “I should not have even wasted my time. I figured soulmates were an idiotic and useless human construction, anyways.”

“D-don’t say that,” Gavin choked out, a wave of fury and sadness crashing through him. Nines seemed slightly taken aback, head tilted and eyebrow raised. “You don’t fuckin’ understand, you never will. You don’t know what it’s really like to even have love let alone to have your fuckin’ soulmate.” Gavin turned away from him with that, squeezing his eyes shut.

Fuck, his parents, soulmates from the start, were the most amazing love story Gavin had ever known. They had really made him believe that finding a soulmate was possible, that finding the best love of your life was possible… At least, until his dad tragically died and his mother married that John Kamski asshole with his asshole son. 

John had been another person born without a soulmark, like Gavin. Gavin had hoped to confide in it and relate to John over it, but John had laughed in his face – mocked the relationship that Gavin’s parents had had, dismissed soulmates as useless. It broke his fucking heart. And now, here was one of his shitty stepbrother’s shitty fuckin’ creations dismissing soulmates as some idiotic human folly.

Gavin was crying before he realized it, and frantically brought a sleeve up to scrub at his face. “Fuck, you’re a fuckin’ asshole,” he muttered, voice cracking.

Nines was besides himself, shocked by the overwhelming turn Gavin’s mood had taken. It was obvious he had hit a nerve. “Detective, I… I apologize,” he tried, unsure of how to proceed. He carefully placed a hand on Gavin’s shoulder, almost flinching at the spark in their connection. “I did not intend to upset you so much; I did not see this outcome.”

“Yea, well, good fuckin’ job.” Gavin took another swig of his beer. “Don’t act like you know everything when you don’t know shit about me.”

Nines sighed softly at that and took a seat on the barstool next to Gavin. “Then tell me,” he requested, voice gentle. “The case can wait – the crime scene is secured, and you’re too inebriated to be on the job anyways.”

Gavin scrubbed a hand over his face, hesitating, before finally shrugging. “Yea, fine, nothin’ to lose.”

~-~

Before long, three months had passed since Gavin and Nines had met. That late night at the bar had changed the tides of their relationship, by some miracle. It was inexplicable that they actually managed to call each other friends in one way or another. Gavin was loath to admit that he was actually becoming fond of the android.

Nines, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised and kindly open to this shift in their relationship. Having heard what was, essentially, Gavin’s life story had softened him immensely towards the detective. He had grown to respect him and all he’d been through, even if he also found Gavin nearly insufferable at times. Win some, lose some, he figured.

They were wrapping up for the night, having been called out to a scene earlier that evening. It had been a particularly barbaric case that obviously distressed Gavin, though he did his best to hide it. A man had, in a blind, drug-fueled fury, brutally murdered his wife… and then, once coming to his senses, called the cops and killed himself. The worst part about it - not the brutality of the scene, not the drug use, not loss of two humans lives, nor the fact they were married - was the fact they both had matching soulmarks.

Gavin stood out in the rain, shivering, doing his damndest to keep his desperately needed cigarette lit. Nines said his goodbyes to the few officers securing the scene, eyes roaming until they located Gavin’s form huddled underneath a lone streetlamp. He approached quietly, sliding his jacket off of his arms before carefully draping it over Gavin’s shoulders. He let his hands linger, feeling how cold Gavin was.

“You really shouldn’t stand in the rain and cold like this, Detective. You’ll fall ill,” Nines murmured, moving closer to Gavin and raising his body temperature slightly, LED spinning a brief yellow. Gavin remained silent, eyes fixed on the ground, trembling hands cupped around his cigarette. Nines let out a soft sigh before taking initiative, wrapping his arms around Gavin and leaning into him, raising his body temperature a bit more. “I swear, if you make me overheat,” he joked, voice soft.

“Thanks,” Gavin whispered, leaning back into Nines. It felt… odd, but at the same time it felt perfectly correct. Obviously. Didn’t help that he was a bit touch-starved in general. “I’ll be fine.”

“You always say that,” the android quipped, lacing his fingers together to rest gently against Gavin’s side.

“Well I always have to be fine,” came the dry reply as Gavin puffed the last of his cigarette.

“You know that’s false,” Nines said. “You shouldn’t just push everything aside and ignore it.”

“It’s what I do best.”

Nines sighed heavily at that, shaking his head. “We should get you home.”

Gavin cursed himself for immediately missing the warmth of Nines as he separated to head to the car. Begrudgingly, Gavin followed suit, taking a glance at the crime scene behind him. A beautiful, big, perfect house… ruined by a nightmare. He suppressed a shudder at the thought and slid into the passenger seat. “You don’t have to always drive,” he said quietly.

“Maybe I like driving?” was the gentle reply. Nines routed the car to Gavin’s and pulled out into the street.

Silence lingered between them as they made their way back to Gavin’s apartment. The rain was coming down harder now, streaking across the windows of the vehicle. Gavin let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his messy and still-dripping-wet hair. “You still believe that soulmates are just bullshit?”

The question caught Nines off guard, and he turned to look at Gavin quickly, automatically switching on self-driving mode. “Reed?”

“I mean, fuck… To be able to do that to the person who is supposed to be meant for you… And like, my mom lost her soulmate and just married another jackass like it was perfectly fine Dad didn’t just get murdered on the job in cold fuckin’ blood.” He was trembling again, vision blurring as his eyes filled with unshed tears. “I get she wanted to provide for me, but how can you do that? How can anyone do that?”

Nines’s reaction was immediate, hand reaching out to grab hold of Gavin’s. “Please don’t think like that,” he spoke, searching Gavin’s face as the smaller man remained focused on the floor of the car. “I am so sorry for what I said, back then, Reed. Had I known… I… No, it’s not just bullshit.”

Gavin brought his free hand up to his face, covering his eyes. “Fuck,” he groaned, “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I never thought I’d be in this position.”

“Neither did I.” Nines took a deep, unnecessary breath, LED flickering yellow. “Neither did Connor, neither did Hank. None of us expected to be here with suddenly appearing soulmarks.”

“Yea, well, Hank and Connor are fuckin’ perfect for each other.”

_And we’re not._

Nines leaned back, his own vision blurring momentarily. Gavin was right, though. They were polar opposites with little to nothing in common. But Nines… Fuck, he was an idiot. He pulled his hand away and instead turned to focus back on driving, LED cycling between yellow and red. A fucking idiot who may or may not have actually been falling in love.

The terse silence that fell over them remained until Nines pulled up outside of Gavin’s apartment. He didn’t say anything – just pulled into a free spot out front of the building and shifted the car into park.

Gavin eyed him quietly, frown deepening, a cold sense of dread settling into the pit of his stomach. Nines pointedly ignored it. “Goodnight, Detective.” _Get out of my car._

“Y-yea… Yea. Bye,” Gavin muttered, pushing the door open and stepping out into the rain, doing his best to ignore the painful heartache in his chest.

~-~

The next morning, Gavin quietly made his way into the precinct, barely even looking at anyone around him. He hadn’t gotten much sleep the prior night, unable to shake the feeling that he was fucking everything up. Then again, what else was new?

Gavin froze as he got to his desk. Nines wasn’t waiting for him; there was no hot coffee on his desk top to signal that the android was somewhere around the precinct. There was nothing, in fact, not even a single thing out of place on Nines’s desk. _Where the fuck_ …?

He dropped himself fairly heavily into his chair, looking at the time on his phone. He wasn’t exorbitantly early; his partner should have been here by now… _So why_ …?

Looking up, Gavin’s eyes landed on Hank and Connor making their way into the bullpen. He was on his feet in a second, quickly approaching Connor who turned to him with a cocked eyebrow. “Good morning, Detective?” The sentence ended in question, Connor curious as to Gavin’s somewhat frantic approach.

“Connor, hey, have you heard from Nines at all?” was the rushed query, Gavin stuffing his hands into his pockets to avoid any nervous fidgeting.

Connor tilted his head, frowning. “Odd that he didn’t tell you, but he let me know this morning that he was taking a personal day. Is everything okay?”

Gavin relaxed somewhat at that, stiffened posture relaxing minutely. “I’m a fuckin’ idiot, Connor,” he answered, gaze flicking to the ground. “What else is new though?”

Connor sighed softly, shaking his head as he crossed his arms across his chest. “Gavin, what did you do,” he spoke, though it wasn’t a question.

“I… The case last night shook me up, and I kinda started doubting everything and freaking out and I said some shit I shouldn’t’ve, like something really stupid, and I’m pretty sure I hurt Nines cause he got really quiet and pissy and fuck, I’m rambling, I’m sorry, I-“

“Jesus Christ, Gavin, shut up,” Hank spoke up, clapping a hand on the detective’s shoulder. “Look, I’ve said and done some stupid shit with Connor, too. Just apologize and be honest about it, damn.”

Gavin sighed heavily, pulling his hands out of his pockets to wrap them around himself instead. “Yea… I… I’m not great about that in case you didn’t fuckin’ know,” he muttered, shrugging morosely. 

“Look, I’m sure Nines just needs a day and he’ll be back tomorrow, and you two can talk about it and work it out,” Connor offered, smiling slightly.

“Yea, and for the love of God, Reed, learn to apologize,” Hank snarked, chuckling faintly.

“Yea, yea, probably. That should be fine,” Gavin said, resigning himself to spend the day anxiously finishing up paperwork.

Except, the next day, Nines still wasn’t there. The cold dread that he had been living with turned into an almost panic and, for a moment, he couldn’t believe he was this fucked up about an android. But that goddamned android was his soulmate.

Tina approached him, a look of concern on her face. “Hey Gav, you look like shit, what’s up?”

“Tee, I-“ _I never fucking told her_. The sudden realization had him startled. Tina, his best friend for over ten years, had no idea about Gavin’s soulmate being Nines. In all the times they’d hung out since, he had never once thought to bring it up. “I fucked up more than I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“I gotta tell you something, but, not here… Can we head out to the alley?”

Tina sighed heavily, shaking her head. “Fine, but you know I’m trying to quit smoking.”

“I know, I know, c’mon,” Gavin hurried, heading to the back door of the precinct. Once safely outside, he turned to her and steadied himself. “Okay, please don’t hate me, but... Nines is my soulmate.” The last sentence was rushed out in one breath.

Silence, and then a harsh bout of shocked laughter followed by Tina doubling over.

“I’m fuckin’ serious, Tee! I punched him the first fuckin’ day we met and it lined up perfectly!”

The laughter slowly stopped, and as she looked up to Gavin’s very distraught face, Tina slowly came back to her senses. “Holy _fuck_ , you aren’t kidding, are you?” she breathed, eyes going wide. 

“No, no, I’m not! And I fucked everything up just like usual, and Nines hasn’t been at work for two days now!”

“Okay, wow… First off, fuck you for not telling me. Secondly, have you tried to reach out at all?” Gavin clammed up at that, flushing, before slowly shaking his head. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Gavin. You are completely hopeless.”

“I know!” he growled, bristling slightly. “Tina, this isn’t funny, I’m freaking out!”

“Okay, okay, holy shit Gav, calm down! Just try reaching out and apologizing; I promise it’s not that hard,” Tina offered, voice turning sympathetic. It was hard to believe that Gavin was just now dealing with this at 36, when she’d been with her soulmate for almost six years and had grown up with a soulmark. But, then again, she supposed that’s what happens when your soulmate is actually an android who had to deviate first. Fuckin’ weird.

“I don’t even know what I’d say now, Tee,” Gavin sighed, slumping against the wall. “I’m half-tempted to just pretend it never happened and act like everything is normal.”

“Gav, sweetie, you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. I promise you that. Just shoot him a text to check in.”

“Fine, I can do that at least,” he said resignedly, hand slipping into his pocket to fiddle with his phone.

It took a couple hours before he finally gathered the courage to send a message.

**Reed: hey u good? not at work**

Gavin set his phone down, attempting to swallow down the intense nervousness. A few minutes passed where he sat just staring at it, and the nervousness slowly morphed in anxiety, and then the anxiety into near panic. Nines was his own fucking phone, so he would have gotten the message immediately; why hadn’t he replied yet? A sudden vibration almost made him jump out of his skin. Shakily, Gavin picked up his phone.

**Nines: Astute observation. I am well, Detective.**

**Reed: y r u not at work?**

**Nines: I needed a moment away.**

**Reed: from?**

And then more radio silence. It spoke volumes, however, and Gavin’s eyes stung as his vision blurred. Quietly getting up, he made his way out to the back alley, fumbling for his cigarettes. He lit one up with trembling hands, doing his best to calm himself down and to not start crying.

Why was he this broken up over a stupid fucking android? Had he… had he actually started to develop feelings?

_Fuck._

A sob ripped through him at the realization, and he slumped against the wall and slowly slid to the ground, clasping one hand over his mouth to muffle the noise. He sat like that for a bit, biting the heel of his hand so hard he almost drew blood in an attempt to stifle the ugly sobs that wracked his body. His cigarette was long forgotten, laying distinguished on the cement. 

Gavin wasn’t sure how long he sat out there, in the dingy alley that separated the precinct from the shops next to it, but it felt like an eternity had passed in his absolute misery. To his horror, the door swung open, and he quickly moved to bury his head in his arms. The last thing he needed was for someone to see him in this state – he’d never live it down.

When footsteps approached, however, he felt himself freeze. _Please, please just let it be Tina_. Someone crouched next to him, and then a hand was on his shoulder. Finally, a gentle, familiar voice. “Reed?”

Gavin snapped up, startled, jade green eyes meeting Maya blue. He was momentarily overwhelmed, and Nines took that opportunity to pull him into a tight hug.

“I am sorry for worrying you and upsetting you further,” Nines murmured. “I should have been more understanding, and instead I let emotion get in the way.”

“N-no,” Gavin choked out, burying his head into Nine’s soft shirt. “I fucked up.”

“No, you didn’t,” came the reassuring voice. “ _I_ did. You were clearly in distress and I let an off-hand comment get to me.”

 _Fuck_. Gavin swallowed thickly, huffing out a shaky breath. _Gorgeous_ and _understanding_.

“I’m sorry for not coming into work, yesterday and this morning. I… needed some time to process.” Nines’s voice dripped with regret, and Gavin jolted upright, leveling that sad expression with a stern look.

“No, no, no, you… you don’t get to be all sad and shit for doing exactly what a human would do when a soulmate-“ _breaks their fuckin’ heart_ , he wanted to finish, but was cut off when warm lips collided against his. It took a moment of comprehension before Gavin completely melted against Nines, eyes fluttering closed as his arms moved to wrap around broad shoulders. 

The kiss ended far too soon for Gavin’s liking, and it left him absolutely breathless. The two stared at each other for a moment, processing – trying to piece together what just happened.

After a moment, Nines looked away nervously, clearing his throat. “I am sorry if that crossed a boundary, I-“

“Nuh uh, no fuckin’ way, no more apologies from you,” Gavin snapped, tightening his grip on the android to force Nines to look back at him. There was a brief moment of hesitation before he was diving in again, pressing Nines up against the wall behind him, hands tangling in the cozy material of his shirt while Nines’s hands scrunched the leather of his jacket.

It wasn’t until the door opened again that they both finally jumped apart, turning to stare at whoever dared to intrude. Tina froze, before slowly raising her hands in defense. “Uh, sorry to interrupt. Clearly, you’re both good,” she said, laughing softly. She stepped back through the still opened door and let it fall shut behind her, grinning all the way back to her desk.

Gavin, as red as possible, let his head fall against Nines’s shoulder. “Okay, maybe the alley is a bad spot to make out in,” he muttered.

Nines laughed at that, a rich sound that made his chest rumble. “Perhaps. We both do have jobs to get to, as well.”

“You’re not taking a personal day again?”

“No, Reed, I decided to pull my head out of my ass – as you would say – and come into work.”

Gavin sighed softly, sitting back. “Nines,” he murmured earnestly, “please, you just fuckin’ kissed me. You can call me Gavin.”

It was Nines’s turn to blush, a pretty lightly blue dusting across his cheeks. “Of course, Gavin,” he purred, a grin sliding its way across his face.

**Author's Note:**

> do I do some smut for a second part? I don't know! 
> 
> I also just don't know if I'd be able to handle writing it without dying halfway through lmao


End file.
